A major snow and ice storm has plunged most of the Eastern United States into dangerous cold temperatures that are expected to stay throughout most of the week. Alongside the cold temperatures are wind gusts that will drop temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees in some places across the Northern Plains.

The massive winter storm has impacted businesses across the country, including those in the glass industry. Country Glass and Mirror in Mesquite, Texas, announced that it would be closed on Monday. The National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office

that temperatures will remain below freezing throughout Dallas-Fort Worth on Monday. A pattern of daytime temperatures above freezing and overnight temperatures below 32 degrees is expected to continue for at least the next week.

Gamco Corp., based in Flushing, New York, also announced that it would be closed on Monday, with operations resuming on Tuesday. The New York City metro area recorded around 10 inches of snow, reports

. Temperatures are expected to linger below the freezing mark in the region until the beginning of February.

Salem Fabrication Technologies Group’s (SFTG) North Carolina office and warehouse are closed due to the severe weather as well. The same goes for the company’s office in Pennsylvania. Its West Coast and Canadian offices and warehouses are open, however.

“Most of our team is working from home, so we’re still keeping things moving,” says Ann Greco of SFTG, adding that “with the roads still icy and many flights canceled, customer appointments through Tuesday are being postponed for now.”

Some companies are already suited for inclement winter weather, such as Montreal-based Walker Glass, Apogee Architectural Metals (AAM) and Vitro Architectural Glass, based in Pennsylvania. AAM, which is located primarily in Wisconsin and Michigan, is accustomed to adverse winter conditions, says Tammy Schroeder, director of marketing.

“Snow and extreme cold are part of our normal operating environment, and we plan for them well in advance,” she says. “AAM’s facilities are open and operational. There have been no closures due to the recent winter weather.”

Marion Pynn, Walker’s content strategist, notes that the storm had no impact on Walker’s operations. Vitro officials say the company has seen no major disruptions as well.

“Fortunately, our operations (and Montreal in general) are set up to cope with snow and cold, so it’s business as usual,” Pynn writes in an email.

Alongside travel and work, the severe weather has interrupted shipping. JLM Wholesale officials note that “UPS and other carrier terminals are currently not operating in Plano, Texas, and are experiencing delays in Charlotte today. As a result, shipments from JLM Wholesale’s Texas and North Carolina distribution centers may be temporarily delayed.”

Greco says that FedEx has informed SFTG that its stations in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina, are not operating. This means no deliveries or pickups from those areas today. Additionally, the FedEx hub in Memphis is expected to be down until Wednesday evening due to the weather.

According to UPS, several areas will not receive pickup or delivery services on Monday, including Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma and others. Click

for the full list.

With the snow, ice and fluctuating temperatures, which promote refreezing, the roads will be difficult to navigate this week. This makes transporting glass much more challenging. New Jersey-based MyGlassTruck offers several tips to protect glass from the elements, including:

For workers forced to be outside during inclement weather, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration might not have a specific standard for cold-weather safety, but it does have

to assist employers.